Why Am I Not Losing Weight

Contents

Keep in mind that many processed foods labeled as “health foods” aren’t really healthy. Be sure to read the ingredients on the package and watch out for foods containing extra carbs.

20 Common Reasons Why You’re Not Losing as Much Weight as You Expected To

If you’re eating healthfully and working out but not losing weight, there may be a reason. When you try to lose weight, your body fights back, so tweaking your strategy could help.

If you’re trying to lose weight, you may be able to lose quite a lot of weight at first without much effort. However, weight loss may slow down or stop altogether after a while.

This article lists 20 common reasons why you’re not losing weight. It also contains actionable tips on how to break through the plateau and get things moving again.

If you think you are experiencing a weight loss plateau, you shouldn’t fret just yet.

It is incredibly common for the scale not to budge for a few days (or weeks) at a time. This does not mean that you are not losing fat.

Body weight tends to fluctuate by a few pounds. It depends on the foods you are eating, and hormones can also have a major effect on how much water your body retains (especially in women).

Also, it is possible to gain muscle at the same time as you lose fat. This is particularly common if you recently started exercising.

This is a good thing, as what you really want to lose is body fat, not just weight.

It is a good idea to use something other than the scale to gauge your progress. For example, measure your waist circumference and body fat percentage once per month.

Also, how well your clothes fit and how you look in the mirror can be very telling.

Unless your weight has been stuck at the same point for more than 1–2 weeks, you probably don’t need to worry about anything.

Summary

A weight loss plateau may be explained by muscle gain, undigested food, and fluctuations in body water. If the scale doesn’t budge, you might still be losing fat.

Awareness is incredibly important if you are trying to lose weight. Many people don’t have a clue how much they’re really eating.

Studies show that keeping track of your food intake helps with weight loss. People who use food diaries or photograph their meals consistently lose more weight than people who don’t (1, 2 ).

At the same time, there is a potential downside to food tracking, especially when it’s used for the purpose of weight loss. For people with eating disorders, calorie counting and food tracking has been shown to aggravate potentially harmful side effects ( 3 ).

Summary

Keeping a food diary can be helpful when you are trying to lose weight.

Protein is an important nutrient for losing weight.

Eating protein at 25–30% of calories can boost metabolism by 80–100 calories per day and make you automatically eat several hundred fewer calories per day. It can also drastically reduce cravings and desire for snacking ( 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 ).

This is partly mediated by protein’s effects on appetite-regulating hormones, such as ghrelin and others ( 9 , 10 ).

If you eat breakfast, be sure to load up on protein. Studies show that those who eat a high protein breakfast are less hungry and have fewer cravings throughout the day ( 11 ).

A high protein intake also helps prevent metabolic slowdown, a common side effect of losing weight. Additionally, it helps prevent weight regain ( 12 , 13 , 14 ).

Summary

Low protein intake may bring your weight loss efforts to a standstill. Make sure to eat plenty of protein-rich foods.

Many people who have trouble losing weight are simply eating too many calories.

You may think that this does not apply to you, but keep in mind that studies consistently show that people tend to underestimate their calorie intake by a significant amount ( 15 , 16 , 17 ).

If you are not losing weight, you should try weighing your foods and tracking your calories for a while.

Here are some helpful resources:

Calorie calculator. Use a calorie calculator to figure out how many calories to eat.
Calorie counters. This is a list of five free websites and apps that can help you keep track of your calorie and nutrient intake.

Tracking is also important if you’re trying to reach a certain nutrient goal, such as getting 30% of your calories from protein. This can be impossible to achieve if you’re not tracking things properly.

It is generally not necessary to count calories and weigh everything for the rest of your life. Instead, try out these techniques for a few days every few months to get a feel for how much you’re eating.

Summary

If your weight loss seems to have come to a standstill, it’s possible you may be consuming too many calories. People frequently overestimate their calorie intake.

Food quality is just as important as quantity.

Eating whole foods can improve your well-being and help regulate your appetite. These foods tend to be much more filling than their highly processed counterparts.

Keep in mind that many processed foods labeled as “health foods” aren’t really healthy. Be sure to read the ingredients on the package and watch out for foods containing extra carbs.

Summary

Make sure to base your diet on whole foods. Eating too much processed food could negatively affect your weight loss success.

One of the most important things you can do when losing weight is to do some form of resistance training, such as lifting weights.

This can help you maintain muscle mass, which is often burned along with body fat if you are not exercising ( 18 ).

Lifting weights can also help prevent metabolic slowdown and ensure that your body stays toned and muscular ( 19 ).

Summary

Strength training is an effective way to lose fat. It prevents the loss of muscle mass often associated with weight loss and helps maintain long-term fat loss.

Binge eating involves rapidly eating large amounts of food, often much more than your body needs.

This can be a significant problem for many people trying to lose weight. Some may binge on highly processed foods, while others binge on relatively healthy foods, including nuts, nut butters, dark chocolate, cheese, etc. Even if something is deemed “healthy,” its calories still count.

Summary

If you frequently binge on food, it may be the reason why your weight loss journey seems to be at a standstill.

Cardiovascular exercise, also known as cardio or aerobic exercise, is any type of exercise that increases your heart rate. It includes activities such as jogging, cycling, and swimming.

It is one of the most effective ways to improve your health. It is also very effective at burning belly fat, the harmful visceral fat that builds up around your organs and causes disease ( 20 , 21 ).

Summary

Try to do cardio regularly. It helps you burn fat, especially around your midsection. Lack of exercise could be one reason for a weight loss plateau.

Sugary beverages are significantly fattening items in the food supply. Your brain doesn’t compensate for the calories in them by making you eat less of other foods ( 22 , 23 ).

This isn’t only true of sugary drinks like Coke and Pepsi. It also applies to “healthier” beverages like Vitaminwater, which are also loaded with sugar.

Even fruit juices are problematic and should not be consumed in large amounts. A single glass can contain a similar amount of sugar as several pieces of whole fruit.

Summary

Avoiding all sugary beverages is an excellent weight loss strategy. They often make up a significant portion of a person’s calorie intake.

Good sleep is one of the most important factors for your physical and mental health as well as your weight.

Studies show that poor sleep is one of the single biggest risk factors for obesity. Adults and children with poor sleep have a 55% and 89% greater risk, respectively, for developing obesity ( 24 ).

Summary

Lack of quality sleep is a strong risk factor for obesity. It could also hinder weight loss progress.

If you have a higher amount of weight to lose and/or you have a metabolic condition such as type 2 diabetes or prediabetes, you may want to consider a low carb diet.

In short-term studies, this type of diet has been shown to cause up to 2–3 times as much weight loss as the standard “low fat” diet that is often recommended ( 25 , 26 ).

On the other hand, a more recent trial in 2018 found little difference in the results of a nutrient-dense, low fat diet versus a nutrient-dense, low carb diet ( 27 ). Finding a sustainable meal plan that you can enjoy long term is key.

How we reviewed this article:

Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space, and we update our articles when new information becomes available.

I’m doing everything right, but I’m still not losing weight. What’s going on?

Rewind three-and-a-half months to January. You’ve woken up, feeling the after effects of last night’s celebration, and resolved to make a change in the new year. The goal? To lose weight. Fast forward to today. You’ve cut out the fast food, revamped your diet and committed to an exercise routine. But the numbers on the scale haven’t budged at all. What gives?

I’ll be the first to tell you that I’ve been there. For most of my young adult life, I weighed in just under the average for my age and height. Then, when I turned 25 I started taking an anxiety medication that catapulted the scale upwards a full 45 pounds — despite not having changed my diet or exercise routine. While I definitely have been hard on myself over the eight months since the weight gain, I took it upon myself to re-up my gym membership, sign up for ClassPass to give myself some variety and make more conscious food choices.

Over the first few months, I saw a couple pounds drop off, but in the last four months I’ve seen next to nothing. Not seeing those numbers steadily decline despite feeling like I had been sacrificing my favorite foods and spare time to log hours at the gym, was definitely discouraging. So much so that I became less motivated with my pursuit, almost wanting to throw in the towel. What was the point of putting in hours of hard work multiple times a week if I had nothing to show for it?

I know I’m not alone in the never-ending cycle of hard work, lack of results and discouragement and frustration. To get to the bottom of it, I consulted Bonnie Taub-Dix, RDN, creator of BetterThanDieting.com and author of “Read it Before You Eat It — Taking You from Label to Table,” about mistakes people make that hinder weight-loss progress. Get ready for a reality check — and a sigh of relief.

Weight Loss Mistake #1: You’re not eating enough

Knowing that eating too many calories likely led to your unwanted weight gain, it may seem like a good idea to cut back — been there, done that — but you should think again. “Very-low-calorie diets may create a quick initial weight loss, but when hunger, boredom or life circumstances get in the way, these unrealistic plans can become too hard to stick to,” Taub-Dix says. “This could lead to that familiar diet/binge cycle of eating, causing someone to feel badly about themselves for failing instead of being their own cheerleader to help them achieve their desire to look and feel their best.” Sound familiar? I, for one, have struggled with this a lot ever since I first saw my weight flare up. I’d meticulously log all my calories and count my macros, and begin to restrict myself from eating more calories once I’d reached the magic number, despite how hungry I felt. Like clockwork, I would inevitably come home late one night and end up binging, ordering all my favorite Italian dishes from my neighborhood pizzeria — enough to feed multiple people — and eating it almost entirely on my own.

Your brain on. What Happens to Your Brain When You Go on a Diet

With this experience in mind, Taub-Dix explains that when you really cut back on calories, your body thinks you’re in trouble, urging it into starvation mode, and it slows down a lot of the functions that are necessary to burn calories — including your thyroid, metabolism and blood pressure. What’s more, as a woman, it can make your period irregular, which can affect your hormones and lead to weight gain. And at the end of the day, the battle of the binge is a hard one to win.

Weight Loss Mistake #2: You’re Relying on ‘Avoid’ Lists

We have enough decisions to make each and every day; so many of us resort to relying on “avoid” lists to take the guesswork out of which foods we can and can’t eat. Taub-Dix explains that while a lengthy “avoid” list may seem like clear guidance at the start of a diet, it can lead to resentment and misinformation. I’ve tried adhering to more of these lists than I can count, thinking it won’t be so bad cutting out only carbs or avoiding fried foods. But I end up finding it more difficult than ever. It leads me to seek comfort in other unhealthy foods, while giving myself false praise for having successfully avoided the one food I deemed “off limits” even though I’m still not eating ideally. Knowing that I needed to find balance, I tapped Taub-Dix for her advice.

“Foods that may need to be limited when one is trying to drop a few pounds is not the same as complete avoidance,” she says. And this includes labeling your favorite indulgences as off limits. “Instead of cutting out foods you enjoy, try watching your portion sizes or save richer foods for special occasions,” Taub-Dix says. “You shouldn’t punish yourself by cutting out foods you enjoy just because you’d like to lose weight …enjoying delicious food is one of the pleasures in life.”

To find a healthy balance, Taub-Dix recommends evaluating what it is you’re eating and when you’re eating it. She explains that by being aware of unnecessary eating — like when you’re not truly hungry, but grab a handful of candy at a meeting because it’s sitting in front of you — you’ll be able to be more thoughtful about what you eat and take the time to really enjoy those treats. “If you want chocolate, don’t grab some random piece from your coworker’s desk,” Taub-Dix says. “Go buy your favorite kind, don’t inhale it in one big bite, and take your time with the eating experience so that it won’t feel as fleeting, and you won’t crave it quite as much.”

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Weight Loss Mistake #3: You’re Cutting Out Entire Food Groups

“Any diet that wants you to eliminate carbs, protein or fat is one that you should walk away from,” Taub-Dix says. “Your body needs a certain amount of nutrients, including all of the above plus the vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber that comes along with those foods.”

I have fallen prey to the idea that I should cut carbs altogether far too many times. While I’ve seen some success from highly limiting them, when I ended up in the hospital after fainting from dehydration and malnutrition, I learned that cutting them out completely simply doesn’t work for me. Now, this doesn’t mean you can carbo-load either. Taub-Dix says that, while determining a set percentage of macronutrients is highly subjective, it’s a good idea to start with 50 percent carbs, 30 percent protein and 20 percent fat, and adjust from there. As for where to get those macronutrients for ideal weight loss, Taub-Dix points us in the direction of whole grains, lean meats and seafood for protein, and avocado and nuts for fats. Most of all, you want to look for foods that aren’t highly processed — the more natural, the better.

Weight Loss Mistake #5: Your Diet Has Become Too Monotonous

Once you’ve seen some progress with your routine, you may stick to the exact same meal prep day-in and-day out in hopes of continuing to see the same results. For some, the structure may prove successful, but sometimes monotony leads to complacency, leading your weight loss to plateau. “Sometimes plateaus occur when you eat the same foods in the same amounts every day,” Taub-Dix says. She explains that this happens because when you first start a diet that’s far different than your norm, it almost shocks your body. So, as you adjust to your new diet, your body no longer reacts with the same type of weight loss. But, she stresses, “a plateau (especially after already losing weight) is not necessarily a bad thing — being stable (as opposed to yo-yo dieting) should be applauded.”

At the end of the day, your weight comes down to 70 percent diet and 30 percent exercise.

Weight Loss Mistake #6: You’re Exercising a Lot, But Ignoring Your Diet

Guilty as charged. I know firsthand how beneficial a lean, healthy diet can be; it was this approach that led me to the being in the best of shape of my life during my college years. But I still find myself making inconsistent eating choices and favoring unhealthy foods with the assumption that an extra spin class will balance it all out. Point blank: it won’t. “Lots of patients are overweight because they exercise a lot, thinking it will compensate for excessive and unnecessary eating,” says Taub-Dix. She urges us to remember that at the end of the day, your weight comes down to 70 percent diet and 30 percent exercise. So, if you want to see success in the mirror at the gym, and on the scale, it’s time to take a closer look at the choices you’re making in the kitchen.

Weight Loss Mistake #7: You’re sitting at a desk all day

If you have an Apple Watch, Fitbit or other activity tracker, you may quickly grow tired of the buzzing reminder to get up and move throughout the workday — who has time for that? I know I didn’t, but once I realized just how much time I was spending hunched over a desk, I started making the time. There’s a reason that these trackers come equipped with these types of notifications: That hour at the gym may not be enough to combat the eight you spend sitting on your butt. According to researchers at the University of Missouri–Columbia, when you sit for hours at a time without any movement, your body stops producing lipase, a fat-inhibiting enzyme that can be a big help in trying to achieve your weight-loss goals. And another study published in the The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that when people stood up and stretched once an hour, they saw a boost in metabolism of roughly 13 percent.

Weight Loss Mistake #8: You’re Not Getting Enough Sleep

Lack of sleep can affect hormones, ultimately affecting metabolism. A study presented at the North American Association for the Study of Obesity found that those who got less than four hours of sleep a night were 73 percent more likely to be obese than those who got the recommended seven to nine hours of rest. What’s more, just like when you’ve had one too many cocktails or waited too long between meals and hit the hangry stage, when you’re sleep deprived you have less willpower and poor decision-making skills, meaning you’re more likely to choose foods that will inhibit your weight loss. Plus, when you’re awake longer, you have more time to eat, Taub-Dix points out. There is certainly something to be said for shutting down your kitchen at a designated time, and making a conscious effort to spend that time winding down and easing yourself into sleep.

Weight Loss Mistake #9: You’re Stressed Out

“When you’re stressed all the time, you may find yourself feeling too overwhelmed to think about a well-balanced meal and instead buy whatever’s convenient,” Taub-Dix says. What’s more, she points out, is that many of us are stress eaters, or someone who eats unnecessarily simply to soothe their intense feelings. As someone who does that regularly — always forgetting to grab my packed lunch before running out the door only to find an excuse to grab a slice of pizza or a bunch of processed snacks for lunch — I’ve finally come to terms with the fact that my stress has been inhibiting my progress. “Stress can be the outcome of an unhealthy lifestyle, a busy schedule or lack of sleep,” says Taub-Dix. Proving yet again why it’s so important to find balance in all areas of your life when you’re hoping to shed some extra pounds. And of course, these efforts will have effects on your health that go far beyond simply losing weight. “The number on the scale [shouldn’t be] the priority for changing your habits … but changing your habits might just change the numbers on the scale,” Taub-Dix says.

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Why Am I Not Losing Weight

20 Common Reasons Why You’re Not Losing as Much Weight as You Expected To

How we reviewed this article:

I’m doing everything right, but I’m still not losing weight. What’s going on?

Weight Loss Mistake #1: You’re not eating enough

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Weight Loss Mistake #3: You’re Cutting Out Entire Food Groups

Weight Loss Mistake #5: Your Diet Has Become Too Monotonous

Weight Loss Mistake #6: You’re Exercising a Lot, But Ignoring Your Diet

Weight Loss Mistake #7: You’re sitting at a desk all day

Weight Loss Mistake #8: You’re Not Getting Enough Sleep

Weight Loss Mistake #9: You’re Stressed Out

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How we reviewed this article:

I’m doing everything right, but I’m still not losing weight. What’s going on?

Weight Loss Mistake #1: You’re not eating enough

Related

Your brain on. What Happens to Your Brain When You Go on a Diet

Weight Loss Mistake #2: You’re Relying on ‘Avoid’ Lists

5 Things Your Personal Trainer Wishes You Knew

Weight Loss Mistake #3: You’re Cutting Out Entire Food Groups

Weight Loss Mistake #5: Your Diet Has Become Too Monotonous

Weight Loss Mistake #6: You’re Exercising a Lot, But Ignoring Your Diet

Weight Loss Mistake #7: You’re sitting at a desk all day

Weight Loss Mistake #8: You’re Not Getting Enough Sleep

Weight Loss Mistake #9: You’re Stressed Out

WEIGHT-LOSS SUCCESS STORIES

About Us

Family Medicine

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Men's Health

Alex Koliada, PhD

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